The Minnesota Twins made a quiet but savvy move on Thursday, acquiring veteran left-handed reliever Anthony Banda from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for international bonus pool money. It’s not the kind of trade that dominates headlines, but it’s the type of roster tweak that can pay off over the grind of a long season-especially for a team still piecing together its bullpen puzzle.
Banda, 32, is a well-traveled arm-nine seasons, eight different teams-but don’t let the journeyman label fool you. While his career ERA sits at 4.44, he's been a different pitcher since the start of 2024.
Over the past two seasons, Banda has logged 119 appearances with a 3.14 ERA, and that’s not empty production. He’s also struck out 23.3% of the batters he’s faced during that stretch and pitched in 17 postseason games for the Dodgers during their back-to-back World Series title runs.
That’s experience under pressure-something the Twins bullpen could use more of.
Despite his lengthy time in the majors, Banda has just over four years of service time, which gives the Twins some added value here. They now have club control over him through 2027 at a relatively low cost.
The Dodgers had signed him to a $1.625 million deal in January to avoid arbitration, but designated him for assignment just a month later. Minnesota jumped on the opportunity, clearing a spot on the 40-man roster by designating right-hander Jackson Kowar.
What makes Banda intriguing isn’t just the numbers-it’s the way he gets them. He throws from a low three-quarter arm slot, which gives his pitches a tough angle, especially for left-handed hitters.
His sweeper is his go-to weapon-sharp, late-breaking, and particularly nasty on same-side matchups. He mixes in a sinker and a four-seam fastball, both sitting around 96 mph.
He tends to lean on the sinker against lefties and the four-seamer when facing righties. The changeup?
It’s serviceable, but not the reason he’s on a big-league mound. Banda’s value is clear: get tough outs in the middle innings, especially against lefties.
He now joins Taylor Rogers and Kody Funderburk as part of what’s shaping up to be the Twins’ trio of left-handed options out of the bullpen. It’s not flashy, and there’s still no clear-cut relief ace in the mix, but Minnesota is slowly piecing together a group that could hold its own-especially if Banda continues to pitch like he has the past two seasons.
This isn’t a blockbuster, but it’s the kind of move that shows the Twins are staying active, looking for value, and trying to build a bullpen that won’t unravel in the late innings. Banda’s been through the ups and downs of the league, pitched in October, and knows how to handle high-leverage spots. If he can stay healthy and keep missing bats, this could be one of those under-the-radar additions that pays off when it matters most.